RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Health officials say they don’t believe there’s any risk to the public following an illness that killed two people and sickened four others in Pulaski County.
The Virginia Department of Health tells media outlets that no new cases had been reported as of Saturday. The department called the illness an “isolated illness” that occurred on private property.
New River Health District director Dr. Molly O’Dell says there’s no indication of person-to-person transmission.
Pulaski County emergency management coordinator Josh Tolbert tells The Roanoke Times (https://bit.ly/QLwVbm ) that the illness could be hantavirus. Virginia Department of Health spokesman Robert Parker says investigators are looking at a number of different illnesses.
Hantavirus is a rodent-borne illness. Infected people usually have flu-like symptoms including fever, shortness of breath, chills and muscle and body aches.
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Information from: The Roanoke Times, https://www.roanoke.com
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